Wigwag-flagman.



J. A. BELL, C. R. TWITCHELL & D. M. PALMER.

WIGWAG FLAGMAN.

APPLICATION FILED AuG.31. I9I4.

Patented Nov. 16, 19,15.

3 SHEETSSHEET I.

J. A. BELL, C. R. TWITCHELL & D. M. PALMER.

WIGWAG FLAGMAN.

APPLICATION FILED AUG.3I. I914.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- l. A. BELL, C. R. TWITCHLLL & D. M. PALMER.

WIGWAG FLAGMAN.

APPLICATION FILED Aumsl. 1914.

Patented Nov. 16, .1915.

7 5 W WW 1 M 5 L F u 7 m L A w W 7 T .7 Z inn 7 u H m l 0 u r L L M 9. Y J 4 H H 6 h}! l 7 9 I a L @f UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. BELL, CHARLES R. TWITCHELL, AND DAVID M. PALMER, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNORS '10 RAILWAY SPECIALTIES COMPANY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF CALIFORNIA.

WIGWAG-FLAGMAN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 16, 1915.

Application filed August 31, 1914. Serial No. 859,352.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, JOHN A. BELL, CHARLES R. TWITCHELL, and DAVID M. PALMER, all citizens of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Wigwag-Flagman, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an electrically operated Wig wag flagman designed for use at railway crossings, and one of the objects of the invention is to eliminate the motor which is usually employed and employ magnets with an oscillating armature, thereby providing a more economical construction, and one not liable to get out of order.

A further very important object is to provide switch means such that a magnet will be energized only for the briefest time required to impart the necessary swing to the armature so'that the minimum amount of current will be used, for example, with the present construction using a battery of 8.4 volts, used in operating a fiagman operated by a motor 1.3 amperes was consumed. With the present construction using the same battery only .9 amperes are used. With the present construction we produce a 76 swing of the signal with strokes per minute as against a 45 swing of the signal and 42 strokes per minute with the motor operated signal.

Referring to the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of the signal; Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the signal; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the signal with the signal disk removed and the cover and gong removed; Fig. 4 is a vertical section on line cc*-zv Fig. 3. Fig. 5 is a vertical section on line a w Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical section on line m m, F ig. 3. Fig. 7 is an enlarged sectional view on line w"-a2, Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is an enlarged side elevation with a side of the box removed. Fig. 9 is a diagram of the connections.

1 designates the box with a curved top 2 and with side doors 3 pivoted at 4 to the box. The top is loose and has shoulders 2 which engage the upper edges of the doors and holds them closed. By simply lifting the cover the doors are released and may be swung open giving complete access to the box.

' 6 is a shaft mounted to rock in bearings 7, and rig dly secured to the shaft 6 within the box 1 is an armature 8 adapted to swing across the ends of two pairs of current magnets 9. These magnets are so arranged that when the parts are in normal position as in Fig. 6 the armature 8 lies between the two magnets. This position of a magnet with respect to the armature is that position in which the magnet will exert its strongest pull against the armature when the magnet is energized and as the armature swings farther over the magnet the pulling power of the magnet decreases. \Ve provide a switch mechanism which is so constructed that it energizes one or the other of the magnets when the armature is in the position shown in Fig. 6 and deenergizes the magnet as soon as the armature has made a slight movement. This brief energization of the magnet, however, is sufficient to impart the desired impetus to the armature to cause it to swing through the half stroke in that direction and after swinging by gravity back to its center position again the other magnet at that moment is energized to attract the armature and keep it swinging. Fig. 7 shows the switch mechanism employed in which 10 designates an insulating segment which is secured by screws 11 to the shaft 6. 12 is a contact segment which operates under brushes 13 and 14 which are respectively mounted on insulating supports 15 which are secured to brackets 16 supported by rods 17.

The shaft 6 extends through the sides of the box 1 and the signal which is to be operated may be connected with theshaft in any desired manner, as for example, by means of two arms 18 which are rigidly secured to the shaft and are provided with counter weights 19 at their lower ends, the upper ends of the arms being brought together and a signal disk 19 secured between them with preferably a bulls-eye lamp 20 arranged at the center on each side of the disk.

Supported by brackets 21 are insulating bases 22, upon each of which is arranged a switch which consists of three carbon contact points 23, 24 and 25. These carbon contacts are supported in split sockets 26. Arranged above the shaft 6 is a shaft 27 which is mounted in the bracket 21 and mounted on the shaft 27 is a rock-arm 28 to the ends of which are pivotally secured switch stems 29 with collars 30 below which are compression springs 31' which bear against disks 32. Each stem 29 below the disk 32 is provided with a shoulder 33. Secured to the rock arm 28 on its under side, is a plate 34 having a central notch 35, and a pin 36 which is rigidly secured to the shaft 6 projects up and has a beveled end which projects into the notch 35. Projecting from the upper side of the cross arm 28 is a post 37 to the end of which is pivotally secured an S shaped spring 38, the upper end of the spring being secured to a rod 39.

The magnets are arranged in pairs as shown in Figs. 6 and 8. Referring to Fig. 9 a wire 40 leads from one of the magnets 9 to one of the carbon contacts 24 and awire 41 connects that carbon contact 24 with the associated carbon contact 23. A wire 42 connects the carbon contact.25 of one switch with the carbon contact 25 of the opposite switch, and a wire 43 connects the contacts 23 and 24 of the latter switch. A wire 44 connects the carbon contact'24 of the latter switch with the associated magnet 9. A wire 45 connects the two associated magnets 9. A wire 46 extends from one of the magnets 9 of one pair to one of the magnets 9 of the opposite pair. The Wiping contact 13 is connected bya' wire 47 with the wire 46. A wire 48 leads from the wiper contact 14 to a battery 49, and a Wire 50 from battery 49 to wire 42. As above stated the parts are so arranged that when one pair of magnets is energized it will attract the armature 8 and give the necessary impetus to the oscillating shaft 6, but as soon as the shaft has rocked a short distance its segmental plate 12 will ride away from either the contact 13 or the contact 14 which will immediately break the circuit, but the momentum imparted to the shaft and signal is sufficient to cause the signal to operate to the full end of its stroke. As the signal thus oscillates the additional three point switches also operate in the following manner: When the rock arm 28 is in the position shown in Fig. 5 the switch stem 29 is depressed and the spring 31 holds the disk 32 with a yielding pressure against the carbon contacts 23, 24, 25, thereby establishing the circuit through the pair of magnets which are. to be energized. Thus in Fig. 5 the right hand switch is 1 closed and this closes the circuit through the left hand pair of magnets which will attract the armature to the left and as pin 36 strikes the right hand side of notch 35 it will tilt the rock arm 28 into the opposite position, the spring 38 acting to snap the rock arm into the opposite position as 2. soon as the dead center has been passed. v

This will close the left hand carbon switch and open the right hand carbon switch. An important feature is that as a carbon switch is opened the associated spring 31 expands and as it expands it takes a natural turning movement which frictionally acts to slightl turn the disk 32 with it. This automatically imparts a slow turning movement to the disks 32 which causes them to present new contact surfaces.

Secured to the top of the box is a gong 51, and 52 are hammers on the ends of arms 53 projecting from vertical shafts54. Secured to the lower end of each shaft 54 is an arm 55 and in each arm 55 is a round headed bolt 56. A torsion spring 57 is arranged on each shaft 54 and wound. in .a direction to turn shaft 54 and drive the as sociated hammer 52 against the gong. Sccured to the shaft 6 is a pin 58 and as the shaft 6 rocks in one direction it strikes the,

round edge of one of the bolts 56 and rocks the arm associated therewith which turns the associated shaft and places the associated spring under tension withdrawing hammer 52 away from the gong. As the shaft swings farther the pin 58 releases the bolt head 56 whereupon the spring 57 drives the hammer 52 against the gong. During the return stroke the'pin 58 merely turns the arm in the opposite direction without winding the spring and therefore the hammer is not actuated to strike the gong. As the shaft turns in the opposite direction the action is repeated through the opposite devices, there being two complete sets for each hammer.

What weclaim is 1. In combination, a shaft, an armature on said shaft to swing therewith, and normally held by gravity in vertical position, magnets arranged radiallyof the shaft on both sides of a vertical plane passing through said shaft, switch means connected to the magnets to alternatively energize said magnets, means actuated by said shaft to operate said switch means, an insulating segment mounted on the shaft, terminals connected to the switch means and to the magnets, and a contact segment mounted on the insulating segment and designed to contact with both terminals only when the armature is in vertical position.

2. In a wig-wag flagman, oppositely arranged magnets, a pivoted armature adapted to be attracted by either of said magnets, circuits for the respective magnets, switch means for the respective circuits, means controlled by said armature, for controlling said switch means, and other switch means for breaking the circuit through a magnet as soon as a. sufiicient impetus has been imparted to the armature, by that magnet, a shaft supporting said armature, saidsecond switch means comprising an insulating support mounted on said shaft to rock therewith, a contact plate on said support and a pair of stationary wipers contacting with said contact plate.

3. In a Wig-wag flagman, a rock shaft, an armature secured to the rock shaft, two pairs of current magnets, arranged to actuate the armature in opposite directions, circuits for the respective pairs of magnets, switch means with respective circuits controlled by the armature, each of said switch means comprising a plurality of carbon contact points, a rock arm, a stem pivotally connected to the rock arm, a disk loosely mounted on the stem and adapted to contact with the carbon contacts, shoulders on the stem v above and below the disk, a coil spring between the disk and one shoulder, said coil spring having sufficient slackness when relaxed to allow it to partially rotate automatically and to turn the associated disk, and means operated by said shaft for rocking said rock arm.

4. In a wig-wag fiagman, a rock shaft, an

armature secured to the rock shaft, two pairs of current magnets, arranged to actuate the armature in opposite directions, circuits for the respective pairs of magnets, switch means with respective circuits controlled by the armature, each of said switch means comprising a plurality of carbon contact points, a rock arm, a stem pivotally connected to the rock arm, a disk loosely mounted on the stem and adapted to contact with the carbon contacts, shoulders on the stem above and below the disk, a coil spring between the disk and one shoulder, said coil spring having sufiicient slackness when relaxed to allow it to partially rotate automatically and to turn the associated disk and means operated by said shaft for rocking said rock arm, said rock arm provided with a plate on its under side, said plate having a notch, a pin projecting from said shaft into said notch and adapted to rock the rock arm across the dead center, a post projecting above the rock arm and an S shaped spring pivotally connected to the post and supported by stationary means at its other end, snapping the rock arm into position after the dead center has been passed.

5. In a wig-wag fiagman, a box, a signal, mechanism within the box for operating the signal, a gong on the box, a pair of hammers adapted to strike the gong, arms connected with each hammer within the box, spring means for driving the hammers against the gong, an oscillating shaft within thebox, a pin carried by said shaft and operative against either of said arms to store power in the springs and cause the springs to drive the hammers against the gong when released by the pin.

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto set ourhands at Los Angeles, California, this 11 day of August 1914.

In presence of' G. T. HACKLEY, LonRAINv E. DURROW. 

